Morning Edition’s Allyson McCabe dropped a five minute mini-documentary about how “pay for play” at radio stations has evolved from the scandalous “song plugger” systems of the 1950s, through the bizarre indie promotion world of the 1990s, and into today’s…
Category
Music Marketing
Avoiding music business scams
I just posted dozens of “classic” coaching call recordings to our membership area, and even though some of them are over a decade old, many of those conversations hold up really well! (If you take some of the specific technology…
Could your music marketing eclipse your music?
Ed Simons from the Chemical Brothers wonders that aloud, in response to Radiohead’s new album release. In an age of quickly copied digital downloads, turning your album into an artifact can help you preserve sales and reward your most loyal…
University of North Alabama Students Plan Concerts, Run Record Label
Here’s another case study of a college-based music management degree program taking things to the next level: At the University of North Alabama, students in an Artist Management and Touring course have to stage a concert for a final project.…
Where can you sell your music online?
If you’re not already immersed in the entertainment e-commerce industry, you could face an overwhelming number of choices. Consultants and web contractors may want to charge you hundreds of dollars a month to develop and host custom solutions for selling…
Requesting Your Song on the Radio (Could Disappoint You)
There’s nothing like hearing your song on the radio for the first time. I’ve been fortunate enough to be around artists who’ve experienced the rush of hearing their beautiful recordings compressed like crazy and popped in-between station “stinger” IDs. But,…
Talent2K Complaints Return to My Inbox
Some things show up in four year cycles, like the Winter Olympics, leap years, and complaints about Talent2K. In the past few weeks, I’ve found myself again facing a stack of mail asking whether Talent2K is “legit,” whether they’re “reformed,”…
Indie Music Lacks Access to Radio, But Why Worry?
According to a recent survey, independent musicians have no more access to major market radio now than they did before major networks agreed to settle over charges of payola. What I can’t figure out is why, in the year 2008,…
Chinese Democracy Drops Nov. 23: Free Dr. Pepper for All?
I just saw an item hit the Reuters wire that the long-awaited Guns N’ Roses album, “Chinese Democracy,” is going on sale November 23. That’s an odd date to release an album, right? And then, I remembered that Dr. Pepper’s…